Elks look to clean up play on either side of ball as Redblacks visit

B.C. Lions' James Butler (20) runs past Edmonton Elks' Richard Jibunor (96) during first half CFL football action in Kelowna, B.C., on Saturday July 4, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Steve Dunsmoor

The run game is something the Edmonton Elks will be looking to clean up this week – on both sides of the ball.

The Canadian Football League squad found its offensive rushing attack stopped and its rush defence shredded during last weekend’s road loss to the B.C. Lions.

The hosts piled up 162 yards rushing on 21 carries – and three touchdowns – en route to their 36-24 win, while the Elks failed to find success with the run. Elks running back Justin Rankin, the team’s leading offensive threat, was held to 19 yards on seven carries, prompting Edmonton to abandon the rush in their attempt to come back, only to fall well short as quarterback Cody Fajardo tossed three interceptions while also throwing for three touchdowns.

The loss was first of the season for the Elks, who at 3-1 are tied for the West Division lead with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Lions are 1-3 following the victory.

Elks head coach Mark Kilam said Monday after practice the Elks defence didn’t play to its “standard” in Kelowna, B.C.

“We did some nice things, and then some penalties at some bad times,” the second-year head coach told media at Commonwealth Stadium. “A couple of (defensive pass interference calls) took away from the momentum and took away from the good things that we were trying to do.”

And on offence, Kilan said his players “need to block better, first and foremost” while continuing to find ways to move the ball downfield and make first downs.

“We pulled a lot of our (run-pass options) ... so we did a good job (collecting yards after catches) on the perimeter,” he told media. “We’ve got to continue to do that, but we’ve got to be able to run the football to be the team that we want to be.”

Heading into Saturday’s game, the Elks had been leading the CFL in total rushing thanks primarily to the double-threat Rankin. The 29-year-old third-year CFLer still leads the league in individual yards after Week 5 with 406 yards piled up on the ground on 53 carries for an average of 7.7 yards per play, but the Calgary Stampeders took over as top rushing team overall (119 average yards per game to Edmonton’s 117) on the strength of their performance last week in a blowout win over the Toronto Argonauts combined with the Elks’ feeble run showing against the Lions.

And for as much as the Elks were able to move the ball downfield through the air – Rankin led the team in receptions against the Lions with 10 (and secured 100 yards receiving) as Fajardo tossed more swing passes his way in the second half, while Austin Mack led all team receivers with 141 yards (and caught a TD) and Kaion Julien-Grant snagged two TD passes – the one-dimensional approach fell well short.

“Dropping back 51 times is not how we’re going to win football games, and that was just the way of the game,” Fajardo told media on Monday as the team started to prepare for Thursday’s home date with the Ottawa Redblacks. “The way it went, it felt like when we captured some momentum, we lost momentum.”

It’s not as though the 34-year-old QB and the Elks didn’t try to distribute the ball to others. He targeted Mack the most against B.C. (14), with Rankin getting 13 targets, Julien-Grant and T.J. Luther each seeing seven and Brendan O’Leary-Orange four. Fajardo ended the game 34 of 51 in passing attempts to go with the three TDs and three interceptions.

“We’ve got a bunch of playmakers on our offence, and we want them to get touches and take advantage of their opportunities,” Kilam said. “You can’t give the ball to (Rankin) every play, as much as everyone wants us to do that. That’s not realistic. There are 11 other guys on the field on purpose. Those guys have to make plays when their number’s called.”